Reflective Encounters

“In Asian Brass, Ma Guyuan marries a ghost story with a subtle critique of China’s persistent urban redevelopment plans. Stuck in an inconclusive relationship with a married man, Ping and her colleague have sex at their usual spot: the derelict house of the woman’s deceased grandfather. Awaiting imminent demolishment, this place stands frozen in limbo: too old to be granted extended life, too dear to Ping’s memories to be abandoned. But someone else seems to find it difficult to say goodbye. Occasionally, the grandfather’s ghost visits and we’re left wondering if it’s the house he misses or the last chance to be near his troubled granddaughter.

In Ma’s composite film, Ping’s nuanced character study is central. As a teacher, she’s drawn to a troublesome teenager who has it easier in life – not only he’s a boy but also son to a rich businessman, which allows him a certain degree of freedom, especially at school. Ping, on the contrary, is unable to escape her unfulfilling job as well as her stifled relationship. Ma captures the woman’s loneliness through pensive close-ups and mellow editing while the dramatically empty and unsympathetic urban spaces stand in stark contrast with the warm and yet collapsing environment of Ping’s grandfather’s place. Among mementoes of the old man’s existence, past and present continue to dance together.”

— Ren Scateni